DHAKA, May 5, 2024 (BSS) - Voluntary Consumers Training & Awareness Society
(VOCTA) today urged the government to take effective steps to formulate a
consumer-friendly budget with special emphasis on inflation control,
employment and income growth.

The organization's Executive director Md. Khalilur Rahaman Sajal made the
suggestion on behalf of VOCTA, an organization of consumer rights protection
movement, at a press conference held at Abdus Salam Hall of Jatiya Press Club
today.

In continuation of the pre-budget proposals of 2022-2023 and 2023-2024
financial years, a 19-point recommendation was presented to make the upcoming
budget of Fiscal Year 2024-2025 more people-oriented.

The recommendations included reducing the price of goods to keep it under the
purchasing capacity of the consumers, keeping the import duties and taxes on
daily commodities including rice, pulses, sugar and edible oil at a tolerate
level and increasing the duty-tax on luxury goods.

Strengthening the monitoring of ultra-profitable business groups, raising
voice against market syndication and expanding the coverage of TCB's
subsidized products for low-income group of people are also among the 19-
point recommendations.

The organization also urged the government to reduce the price of medicines
in the budget to keep it at reasonable level to cut people's expanses in
health sector.

They also demanded special financial allocations to speed up and expand the
activities of Directorate of National Consumers' Right Protection, Bangladesh
Standards and Testing Institution, Bangladesh Competition Commission and
Bangladesh Food Safety Authority along with non-government voluntary
organizations working in consumer rights protection.

VOCTA chairman Professor Dr. Hossain Uddin Shekhor, Vice-chairman Sanoar
Hossain Nawaj and director Dr. Latiful Bari were present at the press
conference.